Letters: UN bid is not foolish or futile

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejected the nation's request to gain UN membership under the name "Taiwan." Some media have seized the opportunity to condemn the UN application as a foolish and futile move bringing shame and embarrassment upon Taiwan.

However, the UN bid is neither foolish nor futile and if anyone should feel ashamed and embarrassed, it is Ban, not Taiwan.

First, Ban clearly violated the rules of the UN by rejecting our application without passing it on to the UN Security Council or the General Assembly for a formal review.

Second, Ban rejected the application on the basis of Beijing's "one-China" policy, disregarding the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign state and is not part of China.

Furthermore, citing UN Resolution 2758 as the basis of his rejection, Ban completely failed to notice that Taiwan is not applying to return to the UN under the name "Republic of China," but to enter the UN as a new member under the name "Taiwan."

By applying as a new member, we avoid the question of representing China, as Resolution 2758 only addresses the question of who represents China, but not who represents Taiwan.

Finally, by applying under the name "Taiwan," we can build a case for the nation to be fairly treated in the international community.

Qi Woo-lun

Banciao, Taipei County

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